Automatic grain-scales



:(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. F. GRAY. AUTOMATIC GRAIN SCALES. No. 441,658. v Patented Dec. 2,1890.

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.T.P:.GRAY. AUTOMATIC GRAIN SCALES.

No ..44 1,658. Patented Dec. 2, 1890.

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(No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet s.

T. F. GRAY. AUTOMATIC GRAIN SCALES.

No. 441,658. Patented Dec. 2, 1890 H M -:TTT q 5C 1 kill? Hil I I in 3:IF I I I L I I 5 I 7/ 01 3 e I d v 0 6 J2: a T}: E 6 a 2B :5

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WITNESSES INVENTOR N a %W a; a? iz-fl- & BY l v 7 7 MW i4/A ,RNEYS 4 t ee h m e e h s 4 s E L A c YS m M nu Fm m M 0 T U A A d 0 M 0 m Patented1360.2, 1890.

INVENTOR WITNESSES 744 f UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

THOMAS F. GRAY, OF MONROEVILLE, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC G RAIN-SCALES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,658, dated December2, 1890.

Application filed April 30, 1890. Serial No. 349,999. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, THOMAS F. GRAY, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Monroeville, county of Huron, and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Scales, ofwhich the following is a specification, the principle of the inventionbeing herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplatedapplying that principle so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

My invention relates to automatic grainscales; and it has for itsobject-s to provide improved means for cutting off the supply beforeopening the discharge-valve in the scalehopper; to provide improvedmeans for opening the cut-off valve by the closing mechanism of thedischarge-valve, and to provide improved means for adjusting the momentof discharge and for adjusting the throw of the 'cut-off valve.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of myimproved automatic scale, showing the scale ready to weigh; Fig. 2, aside elevation showing the scale discharging; Fig. 3, a front elevation;Fig. 4, a top plan view; Figs. 5 and 6, vertical sectional views of thefeed-spout, primary cutoff valve, and cut-01f valve or gate; and Fig. 7,a perspective detail view of thestop-lever of the cut-off-gatemechanism.

' In said drawings, the letter A indicates a suitable base havinguprights B secured in it, the upper ends of which are connectedbyhorizontal arms 0. A forked scale-beam D has a sliding and adjustablecounterpoise 61 upon its graduated beam 01' and has knifeedge or otherpivotal bearings 61 forits arms (1 upon the horizontal frame-arms O.

The scale hopper or receptacle E has pivotal bearings e in the extremeends of the forked arms 61 of the scale-beam and is formed with acontracted funnel-shaped bottom E, having an opening, which is closed bya discharge gate or valve F. Said valve is pivoted with its shaft orpintle f in the lower ends of strips or brackets e, secured upon thesides of the hopper, and said shaft hasa rearwardly-extending arm f,upon which adj ustably slides a counterpoise f and aforwardlyextendinglock-armf which is engaged, when the valve is closed, by aninwardly-projecting arm 9 upon the lower end of a vertical shaft -G,which is journaled to rock in a bearing 6 in the lower end of a bracketc upon the side of the lower portion of the hopper and in a bearing 6 atthe upper edge of said hopper. The upper end g of said shaft is bentinward to form an arm, and a spring g is wrapped around said shaft andsecured to the upper bearing 2 and to said arm, so as to force said armrearward against a pin or stop g which limits its play.

The inclined feed-spout H is supported upon the extended upper ends ofthe rear uprights B, and has transverse bearings in its lower open end.

The trunnions 1', which project from the circular end pieces 2" of thecut-off valve or gate 1', are journaled in said bearings, and

said valve or gate forms a segment of a cylinder, so that its upper facewill form a flat surface and is the secant of said cylinder segment,while the lower face will form a segment of a cylinder periphery. Thelower edge h of the bottom of the spout is concaved to correspond to thecylindrical surface of the gate, and the sides of the hopper are cut outat h to correspond to the end piece of the same, and said gate may berevolved upon its trunnionsto either cut off said spout when turned upor to form a continuation of the bottom of the spout when turned down,as plainly illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings.

A cam or eccentric sectorJ is secured upon one of the trunnions of therocking or revolving cut-off gate and bears with its eccen- I end to thetrunnion, has a weight To adjustably sliding upon it, and is adj ustablysecured to the cam J by means of a clamp-screw K, which slides in asegmental slot j in said cam.

A stop-lever L is secured with a longitudinal slot Z in its middle upona set-screw t which enters the end of the trunnion of the cut-off gateI, and a finger Z is pivoted in an. open slot Z in the forward end'ofsaid lever and may be tilted downward in the same, but is prevented frombeing tilted upward by having its inner end abutting against the innerend of the open slot. A flat spring Z 4o segmental gate 1 into thehopper.

50 to a thin sheet or stream.

[O lever L, and through it of the cut-off gate,

. cam, and weighted lever.

A vertical rod N is pivotally connected to the rear arm of the lever Land has a longitudinal slot n in its lower end, which slot is I formedat its middle with an enlargement forming a shoulder or offset n. A studf, which projects from the discharge-valve lever f, slides up and downin said slot and may engage with said shoulder, which then forms a catchfor said lever-arm.

Aprimary cut-oft valve 0 is pivoted across .the spout above the cut-oftvalve 1, and has the upper ends of a forked arm 0 secured to the ends ofits shaft or trunnions. The lower end of said arm has a longitudinalslot, and

a float or board 0 is adjustably secured to the arm by means of aset-screw o in said slot.

. An upright stop-bracket P projects upward from one side of the hopper,and has the finger Z of the stop-lever L normally resting against itsupper end.

A chute Q is arranged in the base of the scale to receive and convey theweighed ma- 3 5 terial from the discharge-valve.

In practice the material to be weighed is fed into the spout, preferablyin a continuous stream, from a bin or an elevator or other conveyer, andpasses over the flat side of the As the material accumulates in thehopper and the quantity desired to be weighed at one time is nearlyreached,the float or board 0, which has previously been adjusted at therequired 4 5 height upon the arm, will be pushed rearward by thematerial piling up in the hopper, and the primary cut-0E gate 0 will begradually tilted toward the inclined bottom of the feedspout and willcut off the stream of material hen the required quantity has beencollected in the hopper, sufficient to overcome the weight of theeounterpoise 61 upon the scale-arm,which poise has previously beenadjusted at the required distance from the fulcrum of the scalebeam, theentire hopper will drop and the stop-bracket P upon the same will bewith-' drawn from beneath the stop-lever L, which will permit saidlever, the cam J, and the cutoff gate to be rocked or. revolved by thedescent of the weight 70, the'curved side of said gate entirely cuttingoit the supply of material through the feed-spout. The rocking of thegate and of the cam and lever will raise the rod N, so that the studupon the discharge-valve arm will be at the lower end of the slot in thesame. The rocking of the cam will force the arm g of the verticalrock-shaft forward against the tension of the spring for the same, andthis will tilt the stud 1 upon the lower end of said shaft out fromunder the end of the discharge-valve locking-lever f so that said valvemay be tilted open by the weight of the material in the hopper againstthe weight of the counter-poise f As the discharge-valve is tilted downthe stud f moves up in the slot at to the upper end oi the same. Vhenthe material in the hopper has run out of the same, the counterpoise (Zwill again raise the empty hopper, the counterpoisef will close thedischarge-valve, and, as it and the arm f descend, the stud f willengage the shoulder in the slotn of the vertical connecting-rod and drawsaid rod down, opening the cut-off gate and returning all the parts totheir normal positions. The pivoted and spring-actuated finger Z of thelever L may slip by the stop P and spring out over it, retaining saidlever, and consequently all the other gate operating and controllingparts, in their normal positions. The weight f upon the discharge-valvearm f is so much heavier than the weight 7t; that it may raise saidweight and overcome whatever frictional or other resistance may be inthe rocking or tilting of the cut-oil? gate and its operating mechanism.The weight or counterpoise 7:. may be exactly adjusted upon its arm tothe point where it will tilt. the cam and the gate when they arereleased, and the arm K may beadjusted in relation to the plane of thegate so as to tilt the latter more or. less into or across the spout,according to the thickness of the stream of material passing throughthesame. The lever L may be longitudinally adjusted upon the screw e so asto have its pivoted finger Z rest with more or less of its length uponthe stop P, so as to be released by the lowering of said step with lessor more promptness, according to the quantities to be weighed in thehopper at one time. lVhen a large quantity of material is to be weighed,the lever is moved forward so as not to be released from the stop untilthe stop and hopper have descended a comparatively greater distance thanwhen a small quantity is to be weighed, when the lever is moved back sothat the finger may be released by a slight downwardmovement of thehopper and gate.

As the under side of the cut-off gate is rounded and slides against thecorrespondingly-concaved edge h of the bottom of the spout, a snug fitmay be had between said parts so that no particle of the material to .beweighed will enter between them, and thus either be crushed or obstructthe movement of the gate. The circular endsof the gate,

fitting and revolving in the correspondinglyshaped ends of the sides ofthe spout, will form continuations of said sides, and thusadmit of aperfectcut-otf or closing of the spout when the gate is revolved.

In this scale no more material can be fed into the hopper than isexactly required to drop the latter and tip the scale-beam, as the gateis immediately closed when the hopper drops, and the discharge-valvewill not be opened until the cut-off gate for the supply has beenclosed. The cut-off gate and the supply into the hopper will be openedby the closing mechanism for the discharge-valve, so that no materialwill fiow into the hopper until the discharge-valve is closed. In thismanner all waste or surplusage of material will be avoided. In theautomatic scales generally in use it has been necessary to allow forthis waste or surplusage which passes through the hopper before andafter it is being emptied in the adjustment of the counterpoise upon thescale-beam, While in this scale the counterpoise may be exactly adjustedto the weight desired to be discharged at each time.

The entire scale structure is simply con- .structed, and the operatingparts of the same arenot liable to be in ured or get out of order byuse. The scale may be connected with its spout to any suitable supplysource and will automatically and exactly weigh desired quantities ofmaterial and deliver the same in exact and perfectly-separatedquantities.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings set forth in detailmechanism embodying my invention. Change may be made therein providedthe principles of construction respectively recited in the followingclaims are employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as myinvention 1. In an automatic scale, the combination, with avertically-movable counterbalanced hopper, of a pivoted cut-off gate forthe supply, a weighted lever arranged to close said gate by its weight,anda stop-lever upon said gate provided with a spring-actuated finger atits end which bears against the upper end of said hopper, substantiallyas set forth.

2. In an automatic scale, the combination, with a verticallymovablecounterbalanced hopper provided with a projecting stopbracket, of apivoted rocking cut-off gate for the supply, a weighted lever connectedto close said gate, and a stop-arm or lever adjustably secured to saidgate and bearing with its end against said stop-bracket, substantiallyas set forth.

3. In an automatic scale, the combination, with a supply-spout havingthe end of its bottom concave, of a cut-off gate having circularendpieces pivoted in said spout and formed in the shape of a cylindersegment, having its curved surface bearing against the concave end ofsaid spout bottom and its fiat side forming a continuation of saidbottom, substantially as set forth.

4. In an automatic scale, the combination with a supply-spout having theends of its sides cut out on a circular line and having the end of itsbottom cylindrically concaved, of a cut-off gate formed in the shape ofa cylinder segment to form a continuation of said spout-bottom with itsflat side and to bear into said concave end with its round side, andprovided with circular end pieces which fit into said circularly cut-offends of the sides of the spout and revolve in the same, formingcontinuaiionsof said sides. substantially as set forth.

5. In an automatic scale, the combinatlon, with a vertically-movablecounterbalanced weighing-hopperprovidedwithastop-bracket, of afeed-spout, a cut-off gate pivoted to rock in said spout, a weighted armor lever ad ustably secured to the pivot of said gate to close the same,and an arm secured longitudinally adjustable upon the pivot of saidgate, and provided with a downwardly-tilting spr1ngactuated finger inits end which may rest upon said stop-bracket, substantially as setforth.

6. In an automatic scale, the combination, with a pivoted feed-gatehaving means for automatically closing it, and an eccentriccam upon saidgate, of a hopper, adischargevalve for said hopper, a latch for saidvalve, and an arm engaged by said cam and connected to operate saidlatch, substantially as set forth.

7. In an automatic scale, the combination, with a pivoted feed cut-offgate having means for closing it, and an eccentric-cam upon said gate,of a hopper, a swinging discharge-valve in said hopper, and a rock-shaftprovided with a stud which looks said valve and with an arm which bearsagainst said cam, substantially as set forth.

9. In an automatic scale, the combination of a pivoted feed-gate havingmeans for antomatically closing it, an arm secured to the pivot of saidgate, a hinged discharge-valve having a counterbalancing-arm for closingit, and a rod attached to the arm of said gate and provided with a catchengaged by said counterbalanced yal've-arm in its descent, substantiallyas set forth.

10. In an automatic scale, the combination of a pivoted feed-gate havingmeans for automatically closing it, an arm secured to the pivot of saidgate, a hinged discharge-valve having a counterbalancing-arm for closingit provided with a laterally-projectin g stud, and a rod attached to thearm of said gate and formed with a slot for the stud of said counterbalancing-arm, said slot having a catch for engaging said stud whenthe arm descends, substantially as set forth.

11. In an automatic scale, the combination of a feed-gate pivoted torook upon trunnions at its ends, a weighted lever upon one trunnion andserving to close said gate, an arm projecting opposite to said lever andsecured upon the trunnion, a downwardly-open-ing discharge-valve, aweighted arm upon said Valve closing the same and provided with a stud,and a rod pivotally secured to the arm upon the gatetrunnion and formedwith a longitudinal slot having an upwardly-faeing shoulder or offset atits middle for engaging said stud, substantially as set forth.

12. In an automatic scale, the oon'ibination of a rocking or revolvingi'eed eut-oit' gate, an eccentric-cam upon the trunnion of said gate, aWeighted arm nponthe trunnion for closing said gate, a stop-leveradjustahl y secured upon said trunnion, a vertically-movalile hopper, astop upon said hopper engaging, said stop-lever, a discharge-valve insaid hopper, a rook-shaft upon said hopper and having a latch for saidvalve, and an arm bearing against the cam, a Weighted arm for closingsaid Valve and provided with a stud, and a rod pivoted to the rear endof the stop-lever and formed with a longitudinal slot having a shoulderor offset for said stud, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing to be my invention I havehereunto set my hand this 21st day of April, A. D. 1890.

TI [OS. 11. GPAY.

Witnesses:

WM. J. MEAD, F. W. lIEYMAN.

